Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Costanzo Law Firm Partnering with the California/Hawaii NAACP
Costanzo Law Firm is pleased to announce that it has partnered with the California/Hawaii NAACP and will be providing legal services for this very important organization. It is particularly exciting to have joined with the NAACP during Black History Month. Civil Rights has been a fundamental objective for Lori throughout her career. She first… Read More »
Understanding Differences Between Federal and California Medical Leave Acts
Under the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), if you have a qualifying medical condition, or a family member has such a condition, you can get time off from work to take care of yourself, or your family member. The time off is generally unpaid, and there are differences between the Federal law, and… Read More »
Religious Accommodations at Work: What Does Your Employer Have to Do?
If you are an employee at work, it is illegal for your employer to discriminate against you for your religious beliefs. But in most cases, employers don’t just blatantly discriminate against people for their religion. What they are more likely to do, is to refuse to provide employees the religious accommodations employees ask for…. Read More »
Layoffs and Terminations: Is there a Difference?
The subtle differences between being fired and being laid off may not mean much to you as an employee—either way, you are out of work. But when it comes to your ability to pursue legal remedies, there is a difference. Often, to minimize legal exposure, California employers will try to say you were one… Read More »
Noncompete Agreements Aren’t Just Unenforceable: They’ll Soon be Illegal
It has long been the law in California, that noncompete agreements are not enforceable. That means that employees are free to work where they want, when they want, when their current employment ends, no matter how it ends. The limited exceptions are in the sales of businesses, where a buyer can require a seller… Read More »
Minimum Wage and Sick Leave Increases are Coming for California Workers
In California, if you are a worker in certain specific industries, you may be due for a pay raise. That’s because the state has passed a significant increase in minimum wage—one of the first times that such a raise is industry-specific, as opposed to being applicable to all workers. The Increases are Coming California… Read More »
Federal Updates for 2024: IRS Mileage Rate, OSHA Reporting, and Federal Contractor Minimum Wages
The following federal law changes take effect on January 1, 2024. IRS MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT RATEThe IRS standard mileage rate will be 67 cents per mile driven for business purposes (up from 65.5 cents in 2023). This rate also applies to electric and hybrid vehicles. Use of this rate is optional, though it’s widely accepted as… Read More »
California Employment Law Updates for January 1
The following employment laws take effect January 1, 2024. CANNABIS PROTECTIONS IN EMPLOYMENTEmployers with five or more employees will be prohibited from discriminating against an applicant or employee for using cannabis off-duty and away from the workplace. This includes discriminating based on a drug test that finds non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their system. Non-psychoactive… Read More »
How Much Meal and Rest Breaks do California Employees Get?
Most employers won’t outright steal from you. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to cheat you. One way that many employers try to cheat employees, is by shorting them of their legally required meal and rest breaks. If an employer has an employee who is working 8 hours, and the employer is supposed… Read More »
Understanding California’s Equal Pay Act
You probably already know that we thankfully live in a day and age when women must get paid the same as their male counterparts in the workplace. What you may not know is that there are not only federal, but also California state laws that protect this right—and give you the right to bring… Read More »
